The Clam
Brunch is the perfect marriage between meals — it has the sweet-, bread- and fruit-filled components of breakfast mixed with the serious, savory and hearty bites found at lunch. Stop by one of these New York City hotspots for the best in fare.
DBGB Kitchen and Bar
For a family-style feast to remember, Daniel Boulud’s East Village bistro recently debuted its epic Big Bowery brunch meant to serve six or more people. Created by executive chef Charlie Foster, each feast commences Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and features an appetizing spread of housemade pastries and baked goods, signature sausages, poached eggs en cocotte (in dish) and tantalizing brioche French toast with seasonal fruit compotes. They also offer do-it-yourself carafes of Bloody Marys or mimosas. The best part? You can make a reservation, a rarity in the city, just make sure to call at least 24 hours in advance.
Marea
Restaurateur Michael White knows how to add class to dining out. If the day calls for an elegant brunch, head to the famed chef’s Central Park gem and Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star, Marea, for an unforgettable Italian seafood meal. Order the white peach purée-infused Marea’s Bellini to start, and then follow it with a first course of caviar, raw oysters or something from the crudo bar. From there, you may want to go for one of the famous pasta dishes such as the gnochetti with ruby red shrimp, chilies and rosemary, or the most brunch-like dish on the menu, the uovo e caviale, which comes with poached eggs, crab, lobster and caviar on brioche. It’s brunch at its finest.
Check out the brand-new brunch offerings from this West Village seafood joint each Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Chef Mike Price whips up organic egg and peekytoe crab Benedict with spinach and brown butter hollandaise and other items such as the deluxe fried belly clam and lobster sandwich with Old Bay fries. And for those with a sweet tooth, buttermilk waffles with strawberries, pistachios and a seasonal rhubarb-maple syrup are also on the menu. Chase your meal down with Mary Under the Docks, a spicy Bloody Mary made with a fresh clam bouillon and clam garnish, or the Sicilian Sunrise with Campari liqueur, prosecco, grapefruit and orange juices.
Located in Four-Star The Plaza Hotel, this airy, seemingly outdoor space is a lovely way to experience an elegant brunch in the city. Order a cucumber gin and tonic to start and follow it with the light lobster salad or the more hearty plate of classic eggs Benedict. Though, if you want to nibble your way through breakfast foods, this polished eatery offers a grand continental buffet option, which includes freshly baked pastries, fruit and berries, cured meats and cheese, bacon and much more.
Colonie
In Brooklyn Heights, at the darling Colonie restaurant, not only will their wall of greens, reclaimed furniture, and open, farmhouse-meets-modern-barn vibe wow you, but the dedication chef Andrew Whitcomb has to dishing up food is the metaphoric icing on the cake. As for real treats, you can easily bask in a brunch where an array of treats including leek and gruyère scramble, biscuit Benedict and duck hash is served. Make sure to also order the brunch-only burger, which is made with house-butchered, grass-fed beef and topped with cloth-bound cheddar, house-cured bacon, beet ketchup and a fried duck egg, all on a homemade potato bun. They also have a seasonal cocktail list with options such as the rhubarb-ginger daiquiri. For those who like wine in the afternoon, certainly give the all-New York wine tap system a whirl.
If you are one of those people who would rather have brunch at 4 p.m., this Tribeca treat is for you. Chef Shane Lyons started offering an all-day Sunday brunch from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., featuring the hotspot’s elevated American public house fare. This means you can choose from rib-sticking dishes that include country fried duck and waffles with smoked chili maple syrup, or biscuits with red gravy and pork sausage. On the lighter side, you could go with smoked salmon scramble topped with roe. They also offer a not-to-be-missed cocktail program highlighted by the Jar o’ Meadmosa, a mixture of orange flower water, traditional mead and orange juice.
If you are visiting NYC, chances are you will want to head to Herald Square for shopping and sightseeing at the Empire State Building. What better way to fuel a day in the city than by dining at this sunny Italian eatery located atop Macy’s before hitting the tourist-packed pavement? Here they serve scrumptious Neapolitan-style pizzas for brunch, including one topped with housemade gravlax and everything-bagel spices, or, for those who had too much fun the night before, try the postumi, the “hangover” pizza that comes with sausage, eggs, mozzarella and lardo. Stella also offers Italian takes on classic breakfast dishes such as the foie-ffle, a foie gras waffle with housemade duck sausage, and brioche doughnuts filled with vanilla cream. Enjoy it all, but make sure not to down too many Jamaican Coffees (a mixture of coffee liqueur, rum, cream and cinnamon) lest you find yourself passed out in the Macy’s bed department afterward.
Photos Courtesy of The Clam, Noah Fecks and Colonie
